I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Today, we are heading to San Francisco. We’re talking with Katie McCaffrey with the McCaffrey Design Group about functional beauty, designing in a rapidly changing city like San Francisco and so much more. It is really astounding when you stop and think about it. A city like San Francisco that is under constant change. Social change, climate change, political change, safety concerns, property management and development issues. How can the design community stay on track for their clients and manage all of the changes simultaneously? Can’t be easy. But Katie seems to take it all with a certain grace and poise. Incredibly so. And, you are going to hear all about it, right after this. Thank you Katie, loved our chat. I really do love these conversations. I love sharing these stories with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convobydesign@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes. For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. - Convo By Design

I’m Josh Cooperman, this is Convo By Design and today you are going to be hearing from Amanda Cimaglia, VP of Corporate Communications and ESG for TimberTech and interior designer, Olga Naiman. TimberTech is a new partner sponsor of the show this year. I wanted to share the TimberTech story with you. More than that, really. I wanted to share the story and feature a designer who uses the product to share the experience of both the why and how this product is revolutionizing the decking industry. By now, you have probably heard me telling you some of the coolest things about TimberTech. This is an in depth look and both the why and the how. Enjoy. Thank you Amanda and Olga for coming on the podcast. I love these conversations. I love sharing these stories with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes. For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. - Convo By Design

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a very special episode. Part of a new series of the show and something that I have been considering for quite some time but I specifically wanted to complete year 10 of the show before I rolled this out. 

Do you know that in the 11+ years of Convo By Design, I have published over 500 episodes, spoken with over 6500 creatives, produced over 5 dozen panel conversations for design events across the country. From all of these amazing conversations with the worlds greatest creative talent, I wanted. to start enshrining some of these individuals into the Convo By Design Icon Registry, a hall of fame if you will.

I don’t do contests and I most certainly don’t do lists. Lists are gimmicks designed to capture clicks. They are, click bait pure and simple. You cannot tell me that a list of 50, 75 or 100 designers and architects are the absolute best at what they do without providing context. Lists are created in the hopes that those who are being listed will promote the accolades and that attention will be driven back to the author of the list. And contests where creatives have to reach out to their base to get them to vote for them is just wrong in my opinion. Because, if someone is amazing at what they do… Celebrate that, no strings attached. And that is what we are going to do here. 

Now, the criteria… Each inductee has been a guest on Convo By Design. They have a body of work that is exceptional in their various disciplines and there is no justification required for their world class status. They give back to the industry, they are innovators, givers and make our industry better than they found it. This project is called the Convo By Design Icon Registry, because that is what this is, tantamount to a hall of fame, but more. What is an ICON? Described as an icon; A person or thing regarded as a representative symbol or as worthy of veneration. A registry is a well curated list. You can consider this a venerable who’s who in our industry with gifts to offer and a willingness to share. Pablo Picasso is credited with saying, “the meaning of life is to find your gift and the purpose of life is to give it away”. Now, I am not suggesting that those enshrined in the Icon Registry have all just been giving away their gifts. These are professionals of the highest order and part of being a professional is knowing your worth and understanding your value. Each of these individuals have appeared on Convo By Design, shared what they know for the betterment of others, and I am deeply appreciative for that. This is the most authentic way that I can express my gratitude for that. As deeply appreciative as I am for their sharing, I am equally grateful for your taking the time to share a few moments, an hour out of your busy schedule each week to listen to the show. Again, the most authentic way that I can express that gratitude is to give you an opportunity to hear them again. Every month, the last Thursday of the month, unless it’s a holiday week, in which case I will publish a week sooner, I will share a new inductee with you.

This week, our third installment into the Convo By Design Icon Registry is Architect and founder of Sweeten, Jean Brownhill. 

Brownhill is an incredible talent. A serious multi-hyphenate and an extraordinary person. A Loeb Fellow from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design where she co-founded the African American Student Union, founder of SAW, Sweeten Accelerator for Women and so much more. Her accolades are many and deservedly so. Jean and I spoke back in 2019.

Thank you Jean for making this world a better place than you found it. Congratulations on your addition to the Convo By Design Icon Registry. And thank you for listening and subscribing to the show. Thank you to my partner sponsors Design Hardware, ThermaSol, TimberTech and Pacific Sales. these are amazing partners all, they support the trade and I love sharing these amazing resources with you. Thanks again for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. – CXD

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design with a conversation that is on the minds of just about every designer this time of year. How can I go to HighPoint, see everything, do everything in the few days while I’m there? The simple answer is, you can’t. High Point Market is the big game, the championship level event for designers in North America. It’s big, it’s spread out and it can be sensory overload. So, you can’t do it all. But, if you plan it right, do your homework and listen to the following conversation with Tammy, you can make it work for you. That’s really what it comes down to, learning how to custom tailor the experience for you. Making the few days you have work in terms of seeing what you want to see, meeting with whom you want to meet and leaving a bit of time for the unexpected. All while wearing comfortable shoes and making sure you have snacks and a portable battery fro your phone. Tips, trick and hacks to make the HighPoint Market experience everything you want it to be. That’s what we are talking about today with HighPoint Market Authority CEO, Tammy Nagem. Thank you Tammy for your time, loved this. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convobydesign@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes. For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. When I first started the podcast, a long time ago… It all started as an experience. I love design and architecture, I always have. I recently realized that if I had taken the time spent doing the show and went back to school, I could have become an architect. I say that tongue firmly planted in cheek. Not because I wouldn’t LOVE to be an architect, designer or set decorator. But, because had I done that, I wouldn’t be able to do this. This is what I love to do. I find extraordinary joy in speaking with the creatives whom I admire, exploring their journeys, telling their stories and engaging with you. 

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Joining me on the show today is Mathew Chaney, FAIA and Bryn Garrett, AIA with EYRC Architects. To be completely frank with you, there are a few firms of which I feel like an honorary member. EYRC is one of them. I have spoken and shared time with Takashi Yanai, FAIA over the years, the “Y” in EYRC, I spent an amazing afternoon with Steven Ehrlich, FAIA, the “E” while in Palm Springs covering the Ridge Mountain project during Modernism Week in, errrr 2017 maybe. I have recorded virtually with them, live from their offices in Los Angeles, live from Rancho Mirage at a project house. I feel close to this firm. It’s only a matter of time before we hear from the “R”, Patricia Rhee, FAIA, it’s coming. But today, we have the “C”, Mathew Chaney as well as Bryn Garrett, both partners in EYRC Architects. Bryn most recently could be heard on a WestEdge Wednesday episode of Convo By Design from his participation on a panel at WestEdge about the current state of residential architecture. 

Mathew and Bryn join me on the show to talk about a number of things architecture and design related. And I am absolutely thrilled to share this conversation with you.

Thank you Mathew and Bryn for your time, talent and willingness to share. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.

Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.

For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design

This episode of The Design Messengers is dedicated to an original in the field of design. Someone who has earned their reputation for the amazing work they do. This individual has been on Convo By Design in the past, I believe three times in different ways; As a solo guest, a multi-guest episode and on a panel I produced at the WestEdge Design Fair. Have you heard the story of Timothy Corrigan and Arch Digest? You probably have by now, if not in his Instagram feed, then perhaps through Business of Home who did an absolutely wonderful job covering this. If you have not heard this story yet, check the show notes for a link to the BoH story. Honestly, I can’t tell it any better than Fred Nicolaus executive editor @BOH did.

To synopsize, Tim worked on Sofia Vergara’s home in the Los Angeles suburb of Beverly Park. He worked on this project for years. His firm was replaced, for whatever reason with that of interiors.com/profile.html">O’Hara Davies-Gaetano. Davies-Gaetano is another alum of Convo By Design. She has been on the show and I think that she too is a very talented designer. So, far so good, no problem. Clients and creatives part ways all the time. Enter @ArchDigest …The 800 pound gorilla in our industry. They publish the project and in the original piece, there is no mention of Corrigan’s work despite much of the specified material and architectural detail of Corrigan’s firm present in the final project. Corrigan called BS and had lawyers send a letter of complaint to AD which I have not read but which did result in a digital version correction and I would not be surprised to see a carefully worded correction in the next print edition. I am glad that they are doing this but to be frank with you, it is not only unfortunate that this happened but it was entirely avoidable. How?

1. The trade publications have slashed editorial staff over the past decade.
2. The contributors who are writing these stories are not, in most cases, trained journalists but instead, content producers who work off subject provided information and push the stories out fast. In many cases working on multiple projects for the same publication or in some cases freelancing for other outlets.
3. There are no real journalistic standards for our industry. There should be.
4. With the proliferation of social media, idea theft runs rampant, claims made are not checked and because there is so much content pushed out, it would take an army to do it.

I do not think there are any villains here. I think there are a number of players involved in this story that are overworked, overstimulated by social media content, driven to push out any celebrity driven story as fast as they can because that is what they believe their audience wants to see. I have issues with Architectural Digest and some other other industry pubs but AD in particular. Years ago, Architectural Digest published a piece on AD Pro that misattributed Convo By Design to another company. Check the show notes for a link, if it gets taken down by the time you hear this, email me and let me know so I can publish a screen shot to our IG feed. I reached out to AD’s contributor the week it happened. That was in October of 2019 and they still haven’t fixed it as of this recording.

Corrigan handled this the way it should have been handled. But let’s be honest about this… Were it a lesser designer, they most likely would have been ignored. I also think that what Tim did was incredibly brave. There could be ramifications, you just never know. My hope is that the folks at the shelter publications,  if they do believe strongly in our industry and who do, in fact make our industry better will use this experience to strengthen their journalistic practices. I would like to see all the trade pubs use trained journalists with a focus on design and architecture to write. That is not always the case. But, if it were, they could catch some of these inconsistencies well in advance of publication. And, if errors are made, which happen all the time because we humans a fallible and we journalists do make mistakes, once discovered, should have practices in place to correct the issue to the very best of their ability. We will see if this happens in this case. What does that mean… To the best of one’s ability. If I am being honest with you, I think there is far more that AD can do, I feel like in this case, they have thus-far done the bare minimum. You might ask, “like what, Josh?”. Great question. I did a bit more digging, and checked out AD’s YouTube channel. The Sofia Vergara project video remains on the channel, as of this recording on March 15th, it has just over 6 million views and absolutely no reference to Tim Corrigan. Sofia mentions O’Hara at least three times but there is no mention of Corrigan, his work or his influence on this project. There is no mention of him in the description

nor in any credits. There is no credit to O’Hara in the credits either which I found odd. I think it speaks to the lack of formal guidelines in media production and project credit attribution. 

Something else to consider, as machine learning continues to gain traction in every industry but specially ours, an algorithm would not know to credit Corrigan for his work on this project and in all future inquiries submitted through AI bots, he would never get credit for his work. This should trouble every single designer, architect, maker and brand from the biggest to the smallest. There should be rules, there should be standards. It would also stand to reason that the biggest players in the space from media to brands would act as thought leaders in this regard.

In an effort to help be part of the change, I would like to share a past episode of Convo By Design as it relates directly to this very issue. 

by-design.blubrry.net/2018/07/">Episode 175, recorded in 2017 and published in 2018 called, Intellectual Right for Creative Types features Emile Nicolau, an IP attorney I worked with at Playboy along with Wendy Posner and Gary Gibson is a fantastic opportunity to hear about the ins and out of IP rights as they affect the design community.

The link to this episode is in the show notes. At the end of the day and through this episode you will learn that regardless of the IP or attribution issue, as a professional in any industry but specifically the design and architecture industry you can choose to defend your rights. You can also choose not to. But make no mistake, that is a choice and nobody is going to do it for you. If you see something that doesn’t make sense, say something. Those on the shelter media side, you have a choice as well. Do you make it right, or not? And that is a choice, one that should not be decided based on the size and experience of the creative, nor on wether or not they have an attorney but instead, is it the right thing to do. If you made a mistake, own it. Thank you, Tim for forcing this issue. Your actions have once again made the industry better than it was when you arrived.

Thank you for listening to Convo By Design. If you have questions or comments on this issue or any others, please email me, convobydesign@outlook.com. Until next time, be well and take today first. – Convo By Design

Source: All above mentioned source material was acquired from the internet on March, 15, 2024. 

Sofia Vergara_YouTube.com_March_15_2024

BusinessOfHome.com_March_15_2024

Instagram_TimothyCorrigan_March_15_2024

Instagram_ArchDigest_March_15_2024

Instagram_ODGInteriors_March_15_2024

#TimothyCorrigan #ArchitecturalDigest #ODGInteriors #SofiaVergara #MediaStandards #Design #Architecture

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Today, we are heading back to Texas. If you are new to the show, I love Texas. I have family there. I lived in Dallas for 9 years. For many years, I had a spin-ff of the podcast called Lone Star House of Design. Texas is not one of the design fly-overs. It has been for a long time, but the pandemic launched a movement that has since gone parabolic. 

Today, you are going to hear from Katie Davis, founder of her eponymous firm in Houston. But that is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Katie is one of those designers who took the longest route possible to interior design. And I love this so much because I love hearing the story behind and through the journey. Katie started out as an attorney. A working attorney meaning she went to law school, passed the Bar Exam. Launched Katie Davis Design in 2018 and now, you are going to hear the rest of the story as well as a guided tour through some of her projects. Love this and we are going to get to it, right after this.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Thank you Katie for your time, talent and willingness to share. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.

Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.

For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is another installment of Convo By Design presents WestEdge Wednesday, a look back at all of the incredible programming from the 2023 edition of the WestEdge Design Fair held at the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. These conversations were held on the stage designed by Marie Designs and presented by BR Home. This is it, part 10 in our series from the WestEdge Design Fair. Southern California has long been a place where adventurous creatives of all disciplines could come to create with other like-minded dreamers—where a designer could draft and see their masterpiece come to life only to realize it wasn’t right, shake it out like a giant Etch-A-Sketch and start again. Now, in a post-pandemic world, it is incumbent upon that very spirit for a new generation of creatives to address and overcome the seemingly endless barrage of challenges. And, they will, because that’s what they do. This conversation features BANDD/DESIGN’S  Sara Malek Barney, Christine Vroom of Christine Vroom Interiors and the legendary radziner.com/staff/leo-marmol-faia/">Leo Marmol, FAIA of Marmol Radziner. This panel could only be moderated by one person I know and that is the incomparable, Frances Anderton. Thank you to Convo By Design partners and sponsors ThermaSol, Moya Living and Design Hardware for making the podcast possible and thank you for listening and watching these episodes of the show. For links to all our partners, guests on this episode, WestEdge Design Fair, Marbe and BR Home.

For those not familiar …   The Banana Republic lifestyle brand portfolio is known for delivering timeless ready-to-wear styles, and BR Home signals the brand’s transformation into a leading destination for the modern explorer.  Expanding across living room, bedroom and dining room furniture as well as lighting, bedding, and home décor, BR Home showcases materials and craftsmanship from around the world, showcasing signature design details, warm, textural layers, natural materials and traditional production techniques. 

Please check the podcast show notes for links and you can find that at Convo By Design dot com and click the podcast tab. Thanks for watching and listening. CXD

I’m Josh Cooperman and this is Convo By Design. Today, we’re heading to Los Angeles for a conversation with Jaime Olmos and Lise Bornstein of KFA Architecture. We talked, in depth about exploring LA’s identity, preservation and the nature of design in LA, the multi-node structure of this incredible cluster of cities, rediscovering LA’s iconic architectural treasures and so much more.

You knowI love LA. It’s home. It’s not the same as it was when I grew up as a teen in the San Fernando Valley in the 1980’s. The best place in the world to be, at that time. But it’s not the same. I’m not hating, but I feel like LA is on the verge of a renaissance. And it all starts with the designers because what they design are the postcards that announce LA’s future return to glory. It starts with honoring the past, and respecting it as you plan for the future. And it all starts with conversations like these. Of note, I have 2 new sponsor partners joining the show. I could not be happier or more pleased to welcome Pacific Sales, A Best Buy Company and TimberTech to the Convo By Design family. These are amazing brands and you are going to have numerous opportunities to interact directly with them over the next weeks and months ahead so stay tuned for those announcements.

If you want to take a deep dive, this episode has a powerful AI generated synopsis of the whole conversation which you can find in the show notes. We are going to hear from Lise and Jaime, right after this.

Designer Resources

Pacific Sales Kitchen and Home. Where excellence meets expertise.

ThermaSol – Redefining the modern shower experience. Without steam, it’s just a bathroom.

Design Hardware – A stunning and vast collection of jewelry for the home!

 – Where service meets excellence

TimberTech – Real wood beauty without the upkeep

Thank you Lise and Jaime for your time, talent and willingness to share. I love these conversations. I love sharing them with you. Please continue to email me with your guest and show suggestions. Convo by design@outlook.com and reach out via Instagram, @ConvoXDesign with an “X”.

Thank you to Convo By Design partner sponsors, ThermaSol, TimberTech, Pacific Sales and Design Hardware. For more information about and links to these incredible companies and to learn more about their products, please check the show notes.

For more stories like these from the design community, please make sure you are subscribing to the podcast, so you receive new episodes automatically when they are published. That way, you never miss an episode. Convo By Design is available everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening, until next week, be well and take today first. -Convo By Design

KFA Architecture Summary

Exploring Los Angeles Identity

Lise and Josh had a conversation about their experiences living in Los Angeles, with Lise being a native of the East Coast. They both expressed their appreciation for Los Angeles’ willingness to reinvent itself and its freedom from traditional norms. Jaime, who was born and raised in Los Angeles, shared their ongoing exploration of what Los Angeles means, including its indigenous architecture. The conversation ended on a note about building and restoring communities in Los Angeles.

Architecture, Design, and Preservation in Southern California

Jaime and Josh discussed architecture and design in Southern California, with a focus on the balance between new and historic structures. They highlighted the unique character of LA’s mid-century modernism and the importance of preserving historical buildings. Josh also raised questions about the role of architects in shaping the future of their designs, given the long lifespan of buildings. Lise added that the context and story of a building, as well as its connection to the community, can contribute to its historical significance. The conversation concluded without a clear resolution on the criteria for determining what makes a building historically significant.

Los Angeles Architecture Evolution Discussion

Josh initiated a discussion about the evolution of Los Angeles and its architecture. They asked Lise and Jaime about their perspectives on the city’s transformation, especially since they both have ties to the area. Lise shared their experience of moving to Los Angeles and their initial impression of the city’s car-centric culture and lack of greenery. However, over the years, they have grown to appreciate the city’s potential for community building and the role of architecture in creating humane spaces. Jaime, a native Angelino, also shared their experiences and impressions of the city.

LA’s Cultural Fusion and Multi-Node Structure

Jaime and Josh discussed the unique character of Los Angeles, emphasizing its cultural fusion and the potential of its multi-node structure. Jaime highlighted the redevelopment of downtown and the appreciation of historic buildings. Josh shared their experiences growing up in the San Fernando Valley and their appreciation for art and architecture in LA. They also discussed the triforium, a unique piece of art in downtown LA. Towards the end, Josh asked Jaime about the verticals within their firm, including schools, commercial, industrial, residential, and historical projects. Jaime clarified their study background and shared their experience at Pomona College.

Rediscovering LA’s Architecture and Design

Jaime discussed the rediscovery of Los Angeles’ architecture and design through the lens of national parks, highlighting the repurposing of older buildings such as the 2121 Lofts in the Arts District. Jaime also discussed the transformation of the Arts District and the LA River, and how these changes have affected the city’s urban fabric. Lise then shifted the conversation towards the history of LA, noting the presence of old industrial buildings, and the city’s willingness to embrace new and different ideas. They also touched upon the tension and potential for false nostalgia when discussing the historic and new pieces of the city’s architecture.

Architectural Design and Disneyland’s Influence

Lise and Josh discussed the importance of architectural design in relation to historical context and the influence of Disneyland on the architectural innovation in Southern California. Lise emphasized the need to design in a Spanish colonial or mission style, which is often requested due to its familiarity. They also mentioned the challenge of incorporating this style into larger, modern buildings. Lise shared their experience with the Hayworth House in West Hollywood, where the building was transformed into senior housing. They highlighted the importance of creating a community feel by adding a front porch and a garden. Josh then shifted the conversation towards the future, expressing interest in discussing where architecture is headed.

Architectural Safety and Community Interactions Post-Pandemic

Josh and Lise discussed the shift in architectural preferences due to the pandemic, with a focus on safety, security, and privacy. They agreed that safety and security are always important, particularly in urban areas, and that learning from past design practices can guide future improvements. Lise highlighted the need for creating safe and secure spaces in cities, emphasizing the importance of visual connections and community interactions. Jaime agreed, noting that their firm aims to provide safety without disconnecting from the community, and shared about the challenges faced by individuals who have been homeless and recently moved into their first permanent home. They highlighted the need for relearning basic self-care skills and the potential for a wide range of reactions to this transition.

Designing Community Wellness in Market Rate Housing

Jaime, Lise, and Josh discussed the potential of architectural elements in creating community and fostering wellness in market rate housing. Jaime emphasized the potential of stairs and walkways, while Lise mentioned the success of opening up stairs for a health and wellness aspect. Josh shared their personal experience in Tulsa, where a community-focused design led to successful social interactions. Jaime and Lise also discussed the future of design, highlighting the increasing value of human connection due to artificial intelligence, the trend towards natural materials, and the need for places that foster meaningful connections. They also touched upon the potential densification of LA, particularly around existing metro lines, and the growing importance of outdoor space and greenery.

Sustainability and Innovation in Los Angeles

Lise and Josh discussed the growing importance of sustainability, with Lise emphasizing that it is a basic human right. They highlighted the potential of Los Angeles as a testing ground for innovative solutions. Lise shared their experience with lead certified design and the role of government mandates in driving innovation. Josh discussed a previous project involving a unique drone pad in the Hollywood Hills and the potential for autonomous drones to revolutionize transportation in LA. The conversation concluded with a consensus on the exciting opportunities and challenges awaiting the industry in the coming decade.

This is a new series of the show called The Design Messengers. A Monday episode of the show sharing design trade info you need to know. Sometimes it’s not really what you need to know but should know. This is an audio essay shining a light on a few simple ideas that make this industry so amazing.

I have a long held passion for and fascination with the set decorators that craft the sets for some of our favorite TV shows, movies, live performances and yes, even commercials. I’m not sure if I told you this before, but Hollywood set design runs in my family. Not as set decorators but as prop house owner, purveyor and provider of objects meant to decorate sets. My Uncle Earl was the founder and owner of EC Props. Now known as E. C. Prop Rentals. They provide the less glamorous, gritty objects you might find on an industrial set, a back alley, commercial environment or city street. 

I remember him telling me how he got into the business. He was a Teamster driving for CBS. He found a few dirt mats. These are rollable rugs that look like dirt, the ground that set decorators would use to dress an outdoor set, like a campground. A much younger me asked if I could see one, he laughed and said no, because he never sees them. They are always rented out. They went from one set decorator to the next, always rented, always making money. I never even thought that was away to make money. But he did. And instead of finding beautiful objects you might find decorating the sets of the time, like Hart to Hart or Designing Women, he was the purveyor of objects like dumpsters, transformers, tools and lockers for a 1988 episode of Ohara starring Pat Morita and decorated by Robin Royce or Crime Story, a show starring Dennis Farina, featuring the acting talents of Gary Sinise, David Caruso, Andrew “Dice” Clay, Pam Grier, Ving Rhames and Miles Davis, as himself of course!  Produced by Michael Mann with set decoration by Linda Lee Sutton. Sutton, by the way…still a working set decorator with 2023 credits that include NCIS: Hawaii.

My Uncle Earl is sadly no longer with us, but his legacy and prop house remain. That is one thing I find so interesting. Legacy as it pertains to design and architecture. Architecture is a little different because a Falling Water or Disney Concert Hall will always garner attention while the interior design of an amazing Manhattan apartment, unless published, might get no such love. I want to share the stories of some incredible set decs with you. How they do what they do, why they do it, where you might have seen their work, what they love about it and what they would like you to know.If you love entertainment, this will be enjoyable for you…If you are a designer, this will be invaluable. To change the thought process from work to lasting legacy. From a project, to a story telling set that makes better the characters who inhabit a real-life environment. 

What I find so incredible about set decs is their ability to read literally between the lines to uncover the true essence of each character as defined by their environments. What does the decor say about the character? How does the character live, why, how does that affect their relationships with the other characters. Without set design, there is no story. You can have dialogue. You can have stage direction and acting,  but there is no context. Set decs create the environment, often in very difficult and challenging situations. Can you derive a set through AI? Sure.Can you create a piece of graphic art through AI? Yes, but 2 things to consider. Those are a complex derivative of many other preexisting works and it is based on prompts, not soul. Set decs are truly givers-of-life in very much the same way as the writer or actor. They create the environment for a director to mold and craft their vision for a finished product. But we don’t celebrate the set decorators the same way, with the same passion as actors, directors or even writers. And I get the sense that many of them are perfectly fine with that provided you let them continue to work the way they do and compensate them fairly. 

This is going to be an ongoing addition to The Design Messengers. Thank you to the Set Decorators Society of America for helping set this up. You are going to hear from Jan Pascale, David Smith, Julie Drach and Claire Kaufman, but first up is Don Diers…

Don Diers

Jan Pascale

David Smith

Julie Drach

Claire Kaufman

Thank you Don, Jan, David, Julie and Claire. Thank you to the SDSA. These conversations were recorded LIVE from the WestEdge Design Fair on-set designed by Marbe Designs featuring Banana Republic Home. Special thanks to them as well.

This is The Design Messengers, an audio essay crafted to get your week of to a great start by sharing ideas to launch you into being the best you can be in all your endeavors but specifically, as a creative in the design and architecture space. Thank you for listening. If you are not already a subscriber, please consider subscribing to the show so you receive every episode of The Design Messengers and Convo By Design automatically when they are published. If you are listening to us for the first time, you can find Convo By Design everywhere you find your favorite podcasts. If you are so inclined, please also consider following on IG @ConvoXDesign with an “X”. Thanks again for listening. Be well and take today first. -CXD